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Second Kingdom of Deverry
Deverry is a Kingdom and the place where most of the story in The Deverry Cycle takes place. History The Dawntime This is the period when the Devetii still lived in the Homeland of Devetia Riga, in Gallia. They learn humor theory and herbal medicine from the Rhwmanes (Romans) and Greggyn (Greeks). The Great Migration About 68 C.E., following Vindex' unsuccessful rebellion against the Rhwman emperor, the Devetii flee Gallia along a dweomer road and arrive in their new world, Annwn. Vindex and Vercingetorix are revered as heroes in Deverrian mythology, though their names are pronounced Gwindyc and Gwercyngetoryc in the Deverrian dialect. The "invasion" of Deverry would result in forced migration of the Horsekin (who attacked the elves) and eventual enslavement of the "Old Ones," the indigenous humans of Annwn. Year 1 After eight years of wandering, King Bran sees an omen instructing him where to build Dun Deverry. Dynasty of the White Mare The descendants of King Bran rule Deverry and the kingdom spreads up and down the great river the Belaver. Cerrmor is founded in the year 25, and Lughcarn in 106. First Interregnum With the death of King Bran's last living descendant in 254, a civil war starts for the throne. The Striking Wyvern clan finally wins in 298, but the Hippogriff and Dragon clans leave to found Eldidd in the west. Dynasty of the Striking Wyvern Deverry expands further into Gwaentaer and Cantrae and more cities and towns are founded in the centre of the country. At the end of the fourth century, the population has grown and the kingdoms of Eldidd and Deverry meet, leading to an intense rivalry. Border struggles lead to the downfall of the Striking Wyvern clan from the kingship in Dun Deverry in 402. Age of the Warring Clans or Second Interregnum For two centuries, the Great Clans do as they please in Deverry, with no one being strong enough to gain the kingship and impose a central rule. Weaker clans move to unsettled lands to get away from the fighting, while the population of Deverry spreads even further, with many settlements cropping up in Gwaentaer along the routes for the iron mined in Cerrgonney. In 558 the first contact with Bardek is made by Deverry merchants. Dynasty of the Blue Wyvern Adoryc I founds the dynasty of the Blue Wyvern in 602 by allying himself with the strong priesthoods, the weaker clans and the rising merchant class. To secure the alliance, he offered concessions such as a ban against the practice of head-hunting and by supporting the growing trade with Bardek. The land conquered from the other Great Clans is awarded to supporters of the Blue Wyvern, such as the Boar, Falcon and Wolf clans. With the peace prosperity grows in Deverry, and trade with Bardek grows. In 665 the First Eldidd War breaks out, as Eldidd spreads east and the border conflicts increase. The war ends with a compromise for the drawing of the border but 50 years after the peace agreement, the Second Eldidd War continues the conflict, with Eldidd ultimately winning several concessions. Through the peace agreement, the royal house of Eldidd marries into that of Deverry, giving them a claim to the Deverrian throne. The dynasty ends in 750, as Covramur dies without a son and all the husbands of his daughters lay their claims to the throne. The Time of Troubles Main article: The Time of Troubles. The Time of Troubles lasted for over a hundred years. Starting with three claimants, one in Cantrae, one in Cerrmor and one in Eldidd, the war ravaged the kingdom and for a long time did not lead to any decisive action that could eliminate any claimant to the throne. During 23 years, Prince Mael of Aberwyn, who would come to be known as Mael the Seer, was held hostage in Cerrmor. The war also leads to Pyrdon breaking free from Eldidd. Finally, Prince Maryn of Pyrdon leads a band of Silver Daggers and ends the bloody stalemate, defeating the Boars of Cantrae and conquering Eldidd. He becomes High King and makes Deverry into a kingdom encompassing Deverry, Eldidd and Pyrdon as well as ushering in the dynasty of the Red Wyvern. Dynasty of the Red Wyvern After the Time of Troubles, the kingdom is rebuilt. The disgruntled losers flee to the northern part of Cerrgonney, but present little danger to the kingdom. The king deals with rebellions in Eldidd, as well as the problem with gwerbrets in Cerrgonney wanting to impose their own taxes on the iron trade. The northern gwerbrets are finally brought to heel in the tenth century, and by handing the Maelwaedds the gwerbretrhyn of Aberwyn, the problems in Eldidd diminish. Centralized power also increases by the king taking control of all trade treaties with Bardek. Dynasty of the Gold Wyvern King Gwardyn II, having no sons, marries his daughter to his nephew to maintain the kingship in the family, creating the dynasty of the Gold Wyvern in 1007. Under the Gold Wyvern, relations with the Westfolk are improved, and the northeastern parts of Deverry come into conflict with the Horsekin, leading to deepened alliances with both Westfolk and Dwarves. In the east, the gwerbretrhyn of Cwm Pecl is founded, expanding Deverry and the High King's power. Politics The kingdom is divided into nine provinces: Eldidd, Pyrdon, Arcodd, Gwaentaer, Cerrgonney, Cantrae, Deverry, Auddglyn, and Cwm Pecl. The Deverrian political system is feudal. At the top of the hierarchy is the High King, who has his court in the Holy City, Dun Deverry. The highest rank of nobility below the royal family is that of gwerbret. A gwerbret swears fealty directly to the High King, and has jurisdiction over a large region, called a gwerbretrhyn (from rhan, roughly meaning "demesne"). A gwerbret does not generally exert direct authority over the entire gwerbretrhyn; part of the rhan is divided among a number of vassals of intermediate rank, called tieryns. A Tieryn, in turn, has as vassals all the lowest-ranking nobles, simply called "lords" (Deverrian arcloedd), within his tierynrhyn. The lords have direct fealty from the common-born. The lowest rung on the social ladder are the bondsfolk (serfs). When a tieryn dies without an heir, the tierynrhyn reverts back to the presiding gwerbret, who chooses the next tieryn. If a gwerbret dies without an heir, however, the new gwerbret is chosen by a Council of Electors. In either case, once a successor has been chosen, the rhan and rank become hereditary again. Deverrian society is characterized by continual internal warfare. Each lord has a warband, or personal army, and the various lords (or entire clans) always seem to have something to fight about, most frequently territory or honor. Sometimes, a war becomes a "blood feud," which can last for generations. Category:Deverry